


Crowned by Thorns

by luminfics, t_dragon



Series: Round 2018 [22]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 08:31:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15215183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luminfics/pseuds/luminfics, https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: A miscalculation. It all went down because of a miscalculation on his part. Now the kingdom he had so hard tried to protect was towered by a sleeping castle, and he, its ruler, had been since then known as "Sleeping Beauty". The real tale about the once powerful kingdom had been forgotten, but things were about to change. Now that the destined prince had come and broke the curse it was time for revenge.





	Crowned by Thorns

**Author's Note:**

> Username: anonymous until reveals  
> Prompt Number: 150  
> Title: Crowned by Thorns  
> Rating: Mature  
> Warnings: Serious injuries, battle fighting
> 
> Author's Notes: First of all, I'd just like to take a moment to thank the mods, and apologize to mods and readers (and the other writers)! I've been having a lot of troubles with writing this, I got into a pretty bad writer's block, and very nearly gave up because of it, but I tried to push through! I hope I'm not disappointing too much with this fic, but it really was love at first sight. I hadn't even decided if I was going to join Luminfics or not, but I looked through the prompt archive, saw this one, and just had to have it. I wish I could have written it as it deserved to be written, and it is a bit rushed, but this is what I managed to get out! So, again, thank you and I'm sorry, I hope you'll enjoy this at least somewhat anyway!

_  Once upon a time, there lived a king in a beautiful, faraway kingdom. _

_  He was a good king. Fair and just, listening to his subjects’ concerns and worries and acting after them. He was praised and loved; and even when disagreeing with him, it was done respectfully. _

_  But he was also only human. And sometimes, humans make mistakes. And this king’s mistakes led to his entire kingdom crumbling under a curse, its glory twisted and changed until history made it into something far from what it had been. _

_  And they claim that still, to this day, the king is stuck in his castle, slumbering and waiting. Waiting for the chance to rebuild his kingdom, and maybe even get his revenge… _

 

 Luhan had heard the fairytale about a hundred times by now. The first time when he was merely a boy, and back then, the fairytale had completely entranced him, making him dream of adventures.

 Now, at twenty-one years, Luhan was frustrated. Several years, he had spent, looking for some kind of clue to the fairytale, some kind of origin, just  _ anything _ to help him in his search. But nothing had come up, not even an extended version - and Luhan was starting to doubt that there had ever actually existed a kingdom as the one told of in the fairytale. Was it merely a bedtime story made up for children to amaze over, dream about?

 But at the same time, there was something pulling at him, something telling him to keep searching, to not give up. And being the youngest sibling, Luhan had the time to waste on chasing fairytales anyway.

 “Goodmorning, milord, I take it that you’ve been up all night?”

 Luhan looked up, blinking weakly and only now noticing how dry and aching his eyes were, barely able to see a thing. Pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes, Luhan took a deep breath, before he once more looked up to try again.

 “Yixing, is it morning already?” Luhan asked the slightly blurry figure moving around his room. “I got a bit stuck in this…”

 Even without seeing him properly, Luhan could tell that Yixing was rolling his eyes.

 “You  _ always _ get a bit stuck in your fairytales, milord,” Yixing said, sighing. “I know they are important to you, but maybe you should start putting more effort into your real duties?”

 “It’s only one fairytale that is interesting to me, Yixing,” Luhan absently said, looking down at the book in front of him. “And you know I don’t care for my ‘real duties’. Who even considers finding a wife a duty?”

 “Princes like you, milord, are supposed to consider it their duty,” Yixing pointed out, walking over to Luhan and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Come now, you need to take a bath.”

 “It is not exactly as if I signed up for becoming a prince,” Luhan muttered, standing up with a groan as he stretched, trying to get all of the kinks from sitting in a chair throughout an entire night out.

 “True, but that does not mean you can escape the duties of your birthright, unfortunately.”

 Luhan knew this all too well, so he just sighed as he followed Yixing towards the bath.

 

 “I have found a new path for us to take, to see if we can find anything,” Luhan hummed, eyes closed as he sat with his head leaned back in the bathtub, almost dozing off as the warm water loosened his muscles. “It seems very promising.”

 “It seems like I have heard this before…,” Yixing jested, and it had Luhan smile. “Every time you find another place for us to visit, you claim that it seems very promising, yet so far we have found nothing.”

 “Don’t spoil my mood, Yixing,” Luhan sighed, sinking a bit further down into the water. “But I do have a very good feeling about it this time around. I don’t know, it just… It feels right, deep in my heart and soul.”

 “Wherever you go, I go,” Yixing said in a soft voice, repeating the phrase they had used since their childhood.

 They had promised that a long time ago, to always stay close to each other, no matter where life would bring them. And as Yixing became Luhan’s valet, they became even more inseparable. Yixing was required to go wherever Luhan went, to serve him, and it worked out perfectly for the both of them. Though Luhan despised that Yixing had taken up the habit of calling him by title and not by name, but he understood why.

 “At least we get to see many marvelous places,” Luhan mused, laughing as Yixing snorted.

 “At least you have found a way to temporarily escape your duties,” Yixing countered, before playfully pushing Luhan’s head under the water to wash his hair.

 

 “Milord, don’t you think it’s a bit…  _ Dramatic _ to sneak away in the middle of the night?” Yixing carefully asked as they were opening one of the windows of Luhan’s room.

 Luhan shrugged as he checked below the window, making sure there were no guards there. Really, his parents should have learned by now…

 “They wouldn’t let me leave, but we all know I would anyway,” Luhan said, throwing one leg over the window frame and looking up at Yixing with a glint in his eyes. “Just wish they would make it a bit more challenging for me!”

 Luhan only needed to hear Yixing’s sigh to know that his friend was rolling his eyes, but Luhan took it in strides as he climbed out his window and down the trellis conveniently located next to it. It had been used many times in Luhan’s childhood, to the point where both he and Yixing were experts in traversing up and down it, and even though his father had many times concluded that it would be taken down, nothing of the sorts had happened yet.

 Which was perfect for Luhan and his unconsented escapades.

 “But did we really have to drag my sister into this whole plot?” Yixing asked as they were down on the ground, tiptoeing towards the stables.

 “She volunteered herself, and she is of great help,” Luhan answered, coming to a stop to look over at Yixing. “You do know that you can stay here, right? If you do not want to leave with me, I won’t force you.”

 Yixing gave a deep sigh, before pushing Luhan forwards. “I know, but somebody needs to be there to save you from whatever dangerous you inevitably will attract. I just do not want anyone to get into trouble, least of all my sister.”

 “If anything, it is the stable boy who will get into trouble, for leaving his post to chase skirts,” Luhan quietly cackled.

 By now they were able to see the stable, and that the torch by the door was put out. A sign left by Liyin that the stable was empty of people.

 Moving through the deepest shadows they could find, Luhan and Yixing quickly made their way into the stables. Years of sneaking around had really paid of - much to the chagrin of both their parents.

 “Hello, my dear,” Luhan whispered as he entered the box stall containing his mare. She perked up as he entered, blinking at him. “We are going away on an adventure!”

 She seemed to understand his words, giving an excited neigh, and Luhan chuckled. There were many reasons for why he was so attached to his horse - one of them being the fact that her personality was rather much like his own, a free spirit who had to sneak out on adventures every now and then.

 By the time Luhan had saddled up and headed outside, Yixing was already done, sitting atop his horse. Sitting up, Luhan took one glance around, before turning to Yixing with a grin.

 “Well, then, let us be off!”

 And so, they set off into the night, to the background music of yelling guards and clattering hooves.

 

 It took them three days to ride to the area around where Luhan believed they might finally find a clue to the origin of the fairytale. Traveling northeast, they went through deeper forests, the air steadily cooling down.

 “Do you think we will see snow?” Luhan excitedly asked as they bundled into warmer clothes.

 Yixing looked up towards the sky, today pale blue with stray white clouds.

 “I would not be surprised… Considering how late during the year it is, and how north we are, I would not be surprised,” Yixing answered, packing the last things together and handing one of the bags over to Luhan to strap to his saddle. “I would not appreciate it though, chasing fairytales in snow storms is not a thing I think I would enjoy.”

 “Really? I think it would be a fun experience to have!” Luhan chuckled. “It would be one amazing story to tell, sitting by the fire as the snow whirls outside, all the children gathered by my feet…”

 “For that to happen, you need to find a wife first, milord,” Yixing pointed out.

 Luhan sat up in the saddle with a grunt, waiting for Yixing to join him before he spoke up again.

 “I have actually thought about that, my dear friend,” Luhan began as they started out of the clearing they had rested in. “I am not sure I actually want children of my own…”

 Yixing looked over at Luhan in surprise, looking so comical that Luhan almost began to laugh.

 “No children?”

 Luhan shook his head. “No children. And at the moment, the prospect of finding a wife nearly frightens me. Maybe it is something I will find more exciting in the future, maybe I am too young to have proper feelings about all of this, but right now, right here, it is not something I want.”

 They rode on in silence for a while, a thoughtful look on Yixing’s face, and that was one of the many reasons for why they were such good friends. Yixing put thought into everything, even such things that others might see as obvious, or completely oppose at first. No matter what it was, it was never a rushed decision or anything like that, and Luhan appreciated it.

 “I do believe that some do not feel the need to have children, and maybe not even a spouse,” Yixing slowly began. “And I think that is perfectly fine, one should not force themselves into something they do not want, even if others believe differently. But I also think this might be phase that you are going through. You are free-spirited, and maybe it is the thought of tying yourself down that keeps you away from those things. As long as you do not make any rash decisions and hold off until you are absolutely sure about things, I think all will be fine.”

 Luhan looked over at Yixing with fondness making his heart feel light, once again amazed by his friend’s wisdom.

 “You are a wonderful friend, Yixing, and so wise,” Luhan said, smile growing wider as Yixing began to blush. “You will make a wonderful husband some day.”

 “Unless you kill me with fairytale adventures through winter landscapes,” Yixing jested, and they laughed as they moved away from heavier topics towards lighter ones.

 

 It had begun to snow when they finally came across something new.

 Small flakes of snow were softly falling around them when Yixing spotted something, and called out to Luhan.

 “Is that a tower?” Yixing asked, pointing at something above the treeline, and shading his eyes with his hand, Luhan squinted in the gestured direction.

 It took some time for him to find and identify it, but when he did, he gasped.

 “Yixing… That is a tower!” Luhan exclaimed, turning to Yixing with a gigantic smile on his face. “We have found something!”

 “It is something,” Yixing agreed, a bit apprehensive, as they changed their course towards the tower. “Might not be the something we are looking for, but it  _ is _ something…”

 “Loosen up a little, Yixing, no matter what it is, it is exciting!” Luhan chirped, gasping once more as they were suddenly in front of some kind of path or road. “This must really be something! These are stones put down by human hands, to form a pathway! Come on, let us hurry!”

 Before Yixing managed to get a single word out, Luhan had already sped up into a quick trot, forcing Yixing to speed up as well.

 It did not take long before the trees began to clear up, gifting them glimpses of what seemed to be a stronghold, or maybe even a castle. It was over-grown and a bit broken down, but there was no denying that it had at one point in time been a glorious building.

 “I do not think this is safe to enter, milord,” Yixing said in a hushed voice as they sat down and bound their horses to a nearby tree.

 “You have to risk some to gain some, Yixing!” Luhan chuckled, completely disregarding Yixing’s fears and heading straight for the large gate.

 It was cracked slightly open, enough for Luhan and Yixing to be able to slip inside, and they stopped and just stared in wonder as soon as they had gotten inside.

 If there was no denying from the outside that this had once been a glorious building, then the inside left no doubt whatsoever. It was richly decorated, even if most decorations were tattered and partially or fully ruined. Moth-eaten heavy draperies were hanging along the walls, every now and then interrupted by tapestries, and a painting or two. They were washed out from not having been taken care of for a long time, but you were still able to distinguish different scenes telling some kind of story.

 Luhan walked over to the tapestries, reaching out to touch but not daring. They looked like a single touch could make them fall apart, and it felt near sacrilegious to destroy them.

 “Let us go further,” Luhan said in a hushed voice, not daring to raise it any more. The atmosphere inside was so tranquil and silent that he did not want to break it, for some strange reason.

 Yixing gave a nod, and they continued down the grand hallway. It seemed eerie, decorated as it was, yet completely empty, and Luhan could not help but wonder how his family’s castle would look if they all just suddenly disappeared. Shivering, Luhan decided not to think about it anymore.

 At the end of the hallway was a pair of doors, large and ornate, hinting at hiding an important room. Placing a hand against one of them, Luhan noticed that it seemed rather cool to the touch, much cooler than it seemed like it should. How peculiar…

 Carefully pushing inside of the room, Luhan shivered in the chilly air. It seemed to be as cold in here as outside, much colder than the rest of the castle.

 Looking up, he realized that he was standing inside of a large room - a throne room - with beautiful pillars stretching up into the high ceiling above. Even though the walls were overgrown, he could still glimpse intricate murals on them, and the tattered mat beneath his feet was filled with intricate broderie that shimmered in the faint light coming inside from the shattered stained glass windows along the sides.

 With his breath in his throat, feeling as if he was walking into a sacred place, Luhan slowly made his way forwards, trying to take it all in. And so it was not until he was halfway through the large room that he noticed the thrones, overgrown by thorns. They were probable magnificent pieces, even after all this time, but Luhan could not focus on them.

 Because sitting on the middle throne, was a man. Enveloped in the thorns, as if they were either protecting him or holding him back, he did not seem old enough for how antique this castle obviously was, and Luhan was suddenly even more intrigued.

_ Could this be…? _

 As he was about to rush over, Luhan was forced to a stop by a hand wrapping around his arm, and he looked over his shoulder in surprise.

 “Please be careful, milord,” Yixing whispered, eyebrows drawn into a frown as he was eyeing the front of the room. “This… This is unsettling me deeply.”

 Luhan patted the man’s hand, offering a smile.

 “I’ll be careful, I promise, but I don’t think anything will happen. It seems like nothing has moved in here for a few hundred years or so.”

 Still hesitant, it took Yixing a second or two to finally let go, but Luhan could see that it was hard for the valet, and it made him soften a bit. Luhan could be rather irresponsible, yet Yixing was always by his side to rescue him whenever needed, and try to talk sense into him.

 Sometimes Luhan wished he was not as stubborn as he was. But it was hard to teach old dogs to sit, and Luhan knew it would take a lot to change habits of twenty-one years.

 Slowly, Luhan snuck forwards again, through the throne room, fully focused on the man on the throne. As he got closer, Luhan could see the golden crown atop of the man’s head, and he assumed that this must be the king. The king of a rumoured kingdom turned fairytale material, perhaps? But Luhan did not dare to hope for such a thing to be true; that he had actually been able to find the slumbering king.

 Up close, Luhan found that the man looked rather young to already be crowned king. The fairytale spoke about the king as if he had spent at least a few years ruling his kingdom, but this man looked to be barely older than a stripling.

 A few snowflakes were falling in through the broken rose window above the man, slowly fluttering down to land on the man’s eyelashes and cheeks, clinging to him. It had Luhan frown, because should the snowflakes not melt against the skin?

 Carefully, Luhan reached out, fingertips brushing against a cheek, before gasping and yanking his hand away.

 “He’s ice cold…,” Luhan mumbled, glancing over at Yixing. “Too cold…”

 Turning forwards, Luhan looked over the thorns wrapped around the man. Gingerly, he touched one of the branches, tilting his head as he found it  _ warm _ . Not extremely so, but still warm enough to be very noticeable in regards to the temperature of the room - and very much more compared to the man which the vines were wrapped around.

 Mind whirring, working as hard as it could, Luhan worried his lower lip as his eyes darted around. He could see that in several places, the thorns were embedded into the man, piercing skin and leaving small stains of blood behind. One of the more visible thorns was puncturing the man’s throat, probably only millimeters away from his jugular, a tiny, tiny, trickle going down into the collar of the man’s clothes.

 “Yixing,” Luhan slowly said, pulling out his dagger and inching closer to the throne. “We’re going to cut this man out of the thorns.”

 “Excuse me, milord?” Yixing stammered, sounding absolutely bewildered, and Luhan could not really blame him.

 Luhan looked over at Yixing, pointing his dagger at the branches. “Please just do as I say, and start clearing them away? I have an idea.”

 Sighing, Yixing produced his dagger, before stepping up beside Luhan.

 “I’m not sure if I’ve told you or not, but I really do not like it when you have ideas…”

 Luhan gave a chuckle as he got to work, attacking the larger vines first.

 Slowly and meticulously, the two removed the plants and extracted the thorns, until the man was very nearly free of them all. The last one remaining was the single thorn still in his throat, having come off as Luhan and Yixing had removed the branch it had been attached to.

 Luhan nervously glanced over at Yixing as he reached up, wondering if this really was such a good idea after all… And if this would actually do something. Luhan was honestly not sure what he wanted to happen - nothing, or something?

 But now his fingers were already pinching the thorn, no more time to regret anything, and so Luhan just tugged, the small piece of prickle tugging on the skin a little before finally sliding free, followed by a thicker drip of blood.

 Dropping the little growth to the floor, Luhan held his breath as he waited, eyes almost unblinking to not miss anything.

 And then the man’s chest rose in a shuddering inhale, triggering a coughing fit that tore through his body so violently that Luhan had to catch the man as he slumped forwards, hands on shoulders holding him up.

 As the coughing subsided, the man was frowning in pain, taking shallow breaths, already pale skin looking a bit sickly and sweet-sheen. But Luhan could feel that the man was slowly becoming warmer, more towards normal body temperature, and it had him give a small, hopeful smile.

 Then eyelids fluttered open, and Luhan suddenly drowned in icy blue.

 The man gave a pained grimace and a breathy groan, and it was only then that Luhan realized that he was trying to speak, chapped lips forming around non-existent words. Before Luhan even had the chance to open his mouth, Yixing was already by his side, tipping the man’s head and helping him drink the ale. As he drank, the man’s eyes closed again, and as Yixing removed the waterskin, he slumped backwards against his throne, panting a little.

 The man’s skin was looking a lot healthier by now, not as palid as after he had woken, neither as pale as before waking, but a little bit more alive and with cheeks a bit rosy.

 And when the man opened his mouth yet again, a raspy voice spoke words that Luhan did not quite understand.

 “Ah, of course,” Luhan groaned as he let his head fall forwards, exhaling heavily, before looking back up again. “It has been a few hundred years, of course you speak another language…”

 The man frowned and tried to speak again, and this time Luhan was a bit more ready for it, focusing to try to pick up what he was trying to get through. Luhan recognized the language, but he only had fleeting knowledge of it, through his research into the Sleeping King fairytale, but it was such an old and unused language that no one really knew how to properly translate it. This had also contributed to the difficulties of finding anything out, but Luhan knew a few words at least.

 “Your… brother? You’re asking about your brother?” Luhan slowly said, making the man’s frown deepen. Of course, he would have an even harder time understanding Luhan. “Wait, hm… How do you say who are you…”

 Thinking it over for a few seconds, Luhan then said the words he thought were the right ones when asking about someone’s identity, and from how the man’s frown easened up, he dared hope he had been right.

 As the man began to rapidly talk, Luhan had to hold up both hands to make him stop, shaking his head in confusion.

 “Not that fast,” Luhan begged. “Cannot understand.”

 Taking a breath, the man began to speak again, this time slower, giving Luhan the time to actually hear and mentally translate the words he was saying.

 “King of Lumin, Minseok,” Luhan said out loud, eyes widening in shock as he whipped his head around to look at Yixing. “King Minseok of Lumin!”

 Yixing’s eyes turned just as round, jaw dropping almost to the floor, because he had been there with Luhan through all of his research, had heard all of the theories and everything - including when Luhan had found the clue that there had existed a small kingdom somewhere a long time ago, bearing the name of something like ‘Lumin’.

 The man, King Minseok, looked rather confused when Luhan turned back to him with a giant grin, and Luhan could understand why, but he was just  _ so happy _ . Finally,  _ finally _ , he had actually found the slumbering king, he had found the origin of the fairytale!

 “King Minseok, I’m Prince Luhan, and I’ve been looking for you for a long time,” Luhan laughed, hoping the king would understand him, because he was too flustered and happy to properly think at the moment.

 He could barely even believe that this was happening!

 But King Minseok’s worried frown quickly pulled Luhan back to reality again, and Luhan once more remembered the first thing out of the king’s mouth.

 “My apologies, but I do not know anything about your brother,” Luhan slowly managed to puzzle together, hoping the word would at least somewhat make sense, but he was starting to get into it, dusting off his disused skill.

 King Minseok did seem to understand, as he let his head fall backwards, hitting the back of his throne with a dull thud. If Luhan was not just seeing things, he would say that he was glimpsing tears gathering in the king’s eyes, and he wondered what in the world had happened to the king’s brother.

 “Your Majesty, I suggest that we head home to my lands, and maybe we can find out what happened to your brother there?” Luhan said, giving a comforting smile as the king glanced over at him. “I can try to make some research, and see if I can find something. But we should leave this place, it is not far from collapsing, and whoever wrapped you in thorns could return at any moment.”

 “Fey,” the king said, sighing as he sat up straight. “It was the Fey who did this. But you are right. Let us leave. Let me get my horse.”

 Luhan glanced over at Yixing on confusion, but it was not like Yixing understood what was going on anyway, not knowing the language.

 “Excuse me, Your Majesty, but your horse? I am terribly sorry, but I do not think your horse is still alive,” Luhan argued as he got up and followed King Minseok, who was walking rather briskly for someone who had been in a deep sleep for at least a hundred years. “It has been hundreds of years since you were put to sleep, I highly doubt your horse is still alive.”

 King Minseok came to a stop, looking up at Luhan and giving a ‘huh’, before he continued on his way again.

 “Has it been that long? That is… Rather horrible, actually. But we might be lucky.”

 “How in the world can you be lucky about this?” Luhan muttered to himself, using his native tongue and getting an odd look from Yixing. “He thinks his horse might still be alive.”

 Yixing gave a disbelieving snort, very much mirroring Luhan’s sentiment, but as they stepped inside of the decrepit stable, they both came to shocked stops.

 The stable was actually filled with life, different animals walking around, eating and making noises, and Luhan felt his chin hit the ground.

 “The curse was put over all of the castle,” King Minseok explained as he walked over to his very alive horse, giving it a few pats. “Every living thing would have been put into a deep sleep, including the animals. Let us just hope that I can actually find a saddle that is still in one piece.”

 “Indeed, let us hope for that,” Luhan weakly said, looking around in shock as King Minseok went off to rummage through things.

 After some time, the king managed to saddle his horse, and they slowly began on their journey back towards Luhan’s home. Luhan was still a bit in shock, and Yixing appeared to be even more so, having said barely a single word since they had woken the king up.

 “Why is he riding beside you?” King Minseok asked, looking at Yixing, and Luhan frowned in confusion. “Is he not your servant?”

 Glancing over at Yixing, Luhan could see a faint blush on the valet’s cheeks, even as he bent his head in a show of submission. Yixing could apparently pick up a few words of what the king had said, probably having picked some things up during Luhan’s extensive research. That did not sit well with Luhan at all, and he felt a fire start in his chest.

 “He is more than that, Your Majesty,” Luhan brashly answered, feeling rather protective and defensive of Yixing. “He is my friend, we grew up together, and I do not see him as someone below me.”

 Observing Luhan, King Minseok stayed silent, before turning forwards again, apparently going to ignore replying, but Luhan was fine with that. Yixing was not someone the king had to worry himself with, and if that meant the king staying silent, Luhan did not mind that.

 Reaching out, Luhan took ahold of Yixing’s hand, feeling slightly hurt by how Yixing recoiled, but Luhan did not let go. When Yixing glanced up at him, Luhan gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, wordlessly telling Yixing to not care about the king’s carelessly uttered words.

 They were childhood friends, and nothing could come in between that. Not even fairytale kings.

 Yixing squeezed his hand back, and it was not until then that Luhan released his hand and straightened up in his saddle again.

 

 They continued on their way, only making small talk every now and then. King Minseok seemed very hesitant to speak with Yixing, whilst Yixing on the other hand seemed almost scared to even look at the king, and it honestly began to rather annoy Luhan.

 It was obvious that King Minseok came from a time and place where servants were not treated as humans in the same way people of other professions were, but Luhan was adamant about changing this. He would show King Minseok that Yixing deserved basic respect and decency, and that Yixing was a very nice conversationalist. Sure, they were slightly hindered by language, but still.

 So Luhan took it upon himself to hold language lessons throughout the day. Every now and then he would point to things, either telling King Minseok what it was called in their language, Yixing what it was called in King Minseok’s language, or asking King Minseok what it was called. It took some time, but King Minseok gradually warmed up the lessons, though more in favor of teaching that learning.

 After all, they had a lot of forest to go through before they would arrive at Luhan’s family’s castle, and not much else to do. For most parts, the forest was silent and boring.

 But like in every fairytale, things sometimes take a turn, and so would also Luhan’s own fairytale.

 It was a normal day, with the three men in their saddles and on their way. It was getting close to lunch, all of them silent, and Luhan thinking about whatever they would eat. No matter how much he wished for something else, he knew it would be the same as the day before - and the day before that, and the day before that.

 Suddenly, a chilling feeling creeped up over Luhan’s back and neck, and he felt as if someone was watching him. Turning in his saddle, he noticed that the forest seemed strangely quiet - something was wrong.

 Turning back forwards, Luhan opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, there was the sound of whistling through the air before something struck Luhan in the shoulder. Jerking backwards, Luhan gasped over the ice cold feeling slicing through his skin, hand automatically coming up to push against whatever it was that had struck him.

 And as his fingers brushed against the arrow, the pain finally hit, and Luhan let out a scream of agony.

 As if Luhan’s cry was the signal for the attack, several arrows began to fly through the air, surprising the two other men. Yixing immediately turned to ride towards Luhan, whilst King Minseok drew his sword and readied himself as he tried to dodge the arrows as well as possible.

 There must have been something coating the tip of the arrow, as Luhan felt his mind grow hazy and thick, body starting to slump forwards as he began to lose control over it. Putting all of his effort into staying on top of his horse, Luhan heard Yixing call out his name, but he could not find his mouth to speak. The clash of battle began around them, but no matter how many times Luhan blinked, he could not focus his sight long enough to find out what was happening; who were winning and who were losing.

 Lying down across his horse’s crest, Luhan exhaled heavily, trying not to succumb to the darkness but failing quickly.

 

 It was pain that brought Luhan back to life, just as it had been pain that had delivered him into unconsciousness.

 It was agonizing pain, a pain that tore a hoarse scream from Luhan as he forced his eyes open, pupils darting around and taking his environment in. They were still in the forest, the stars of the night sky twinkling dizzyingly above him.

 “Calm down, Your Highness, calm down!” Yixing’s soothing voice was heard before his face appeared in Luhan’s sight. “It is all fine, calm down! You are okay, you are okay, calm down…”

 Gasping for air, Luhan slowly relaxed back against the bedroll he was lying on, feeling his heart beat painfully in his chest. Glancing to the side, he could make out King Minseok, sitting on the other side of the fire, a worried look in his eyes but seemingly fine. And that was when Luhan remembered what happened.

 “Yixing, are you unharmed?” Luhan rasped out through a dry throat, trying to reach out to take hold of Yixing in panic, but his left shoulder refused to cooperate as pain shot through it.

 “I am unharmed, yes, so please calm down,” Yixing said, gently but firmly pinning Luhan’s injured arm to his side, his other hand on Luhan’s chest and holding him down. “You were shot by a poisoned arrow, we think we managed to remove it all, but you still need to take it easy.”

 Luhan began to relax again, feeling reassured and relieved. He was starting to feel more and more dizzy again, dark spots beginning to appear across his vision.

 “Wa… Wake me up… When we need to… Go…,” Luhan managed to whisper, before slipping down into the darkness again.

 

 Luhan did not know for how many days he floated in and out of consciousness. He knew that at times, they were riding, slowly making their way home, but most of the times he woke up was when they were resting. At most, he spent a few minutes lucid, before once more succumbing to unconsciousness.

 So when Luhan woke up to softness instead of the normal roughness of the ground, he was taken aback to say the least.

 Blinking his eyes open, he found that he was lying in a room. It was dimly lit, but he could still see that it was not a room in an inn, but a private room.

 “Your Highness?” a voice asked, and Luhan looked over at the new person.

 “Lord Wu?” Luhan rasped out, surprised to see the young lord. “What are you doing here?”

 Lord Wu gave a small smile. “More like what are you doing in my home, my prince?”

 Luhan glanced around the room again, and now he could spot the subtle signs of lord Wu’s house.

 “I… Cannot answer that question, truthfully,” Luhan said, giving an embarrassed smile. “But I’m nevertheless grateful you took us in.”

 Lord Wu chuckled as he sat down in the chair next to the bed, and Luhan looked around in surprise yet again - because Yixing was not there.

 “If you’re looking for Yixing, he’s resting,” lord Wu answered Luhan’s silent question, and Luhan exhaled in relief. “He’s been watching over you for too long, I had to order him to leave your side to get some rest… And I can also answer my own question, which I think is a question of yours too. You came here to find shelter, because of the state you were in. You were poisoned, and even though Yixing and the… Mysterious man tried to save you, they could only hope to delay your death, not prevent it. You seem to be out of danger now, though, your fever has reduced, and you are certainly looking more healthy than you did when you first arrived!”

 “Thank you,” Luhan smiled. “I’m quite happy to still be alive, so thank you.”

 “No need to thank me, Your Highness, it was my pleasure,” lord Wu said, putting a hand on Luhan’s shoulder and squeezing it. “After all, you are my favorite prince, it would be a shame to lose you. Now, with that out of the way… Who is the strange man wearing a crown and speaking a strange language?”

 “It is a long story…,” Luhan slowly said as he pushed himself upright a bit more, before smiling towards the young lord. “If you can spare me something to drink, I’ll be more than happy to tell you it.”

 

 When Luhan finally finished his story, lord Wu was sitting leaned back in his chair, arms crossed and facial expression unreadable.

 “You do not believe me,” Luhan guessed, sighing as lord Wu gave a half shrug.

 “My apologies, Your Highness, but… You are speaking of a hundred-year-old king trapped in a deep slumber by fairy magic, those things does not happen in real life. Maybe your obsession with this fairytale has led to some poor bastard fooling you in a try to get some riches or something?” lord Wu carefully suggested, eyebrows knitted together. “I have worried about you for quite some time, and I know I am not the only one, and this… Worries me more.”

 “You were not there, Yifan, you did not see what I saw,” Luhan insisted in a low voice, frowning as he looked down at his hands. “He was not asleep in a normal way, only coming alive after we removed each and every thorn from his flesh… And how would you explain the creatures attacking us?”

 Lord Wu gave another shrug, motioning in the air. “Maybe he hired some friends to make it more believable, I do not know. What I do know, is that you are very gullible, Your Highness, especially when it comes to these matters.”

 Luhan sank a bit further down, feeling exhaustion once more wash over him.

 “You do not have to believe me, but I know what I saw and experienced. Forgive me, but I am feeling rather tired…”

 Lord Wu gave Luhan one last worried look, before he nodded and stood up.

 “Of course, Your Highness, you have been through a lot. Rest some more, you are more than welcome to stay for as long as you need.”

 “Thank you, lord Wu,” Luhan said, managing a small yet grateful smile - a smile that slowly slipped off of his lips as lord Wu walked out through the door and closed it behind him.

 Closing his eyes, Luhan got comfortable again, knowing he needed to get well as soon as possible. He had a fairytale to prove to be true.

 

 As the days went past, Luhan’s strength returned. He began to stay awake longer, as well as not feeling as exhausted as quickly, much to his own satisfaction. Slowly, he began to make trips out of the bed on his own, extending them with each one he took.

 One day, he decided to visit King Minseok, seeing as he had barely even seen the king during their stay at lord Wu’s home.

 Knocking on the door to the bedroom King Minseok was currently staying in, Luhan waited for a response before opening and walking inside. He was only slightly surprised to hear the response in his own language, and not King Minseok’s.

 “Have you been practising my home’s language, Your Majesty?” Luhan asked with a gentle smile, noticing that the king seemed a bit surprised to see him. Maybe not that strange, since Luhan had been bedridden for quite some time now.

 “Seemed only fair and polite to do so, since I am a guest here,” King Minseok said, the both of them conversing in his tongue since Luhan suspected the king was still not good enough to hold a conversation in Luhan’s language. “And considering my own language is merely an old, near forgotten language by now… I figured maybe I should learn yours to be able to make myself understood. Seems absurd to try to hold on to something like that when it is long gone.”

 Luhan walked over to the little table King Minseok was sitting by, taking a seat in one of the chairs around it.

 “It is not absurd, and it is not long gone, I still speak it somewhat, and there are still books and scrolls written in your language, King Minseok,” Luhan slowly said, sensing that the young yet old king was a bit upset.

 “King Minseok,” the king snorted, flicking his crown that was lying on the table between them, a clear metallic ringing sounding through the air. “I am without kingdom and without people, am I even a king still? Through a selfish decision did I lose everything, and now here I am, a fool without anything…”

 Taking the king’s hand in his, Luhan gave it a gentle squeeze, letting the king know that he was there for him.

 “Do you mind telling me what you did? What happened? All texts I ever found said you made a great mistake that led to your kingdom falling and your own curse, but what could you possibly have done to warrant that?” Luhan asked.

 King Minseok looked down at their clasped hands, exhaling heavily, but Luhan could see the strain in his jaw.

 “I broke a pact with the Fey… I tried to protect the person that was my whole world, at the cost of my entire kingdom…,” King Minseok began, hand tightening slightly around Luhan’s. “My forefather made a pact with the Fey living in our forests, to create peace between our people, and a mutually beneficial friendship. We knew we had no chance against them, but we knew we could prosper with them by our sides. And prosper we did. The agreement was nothing extreme, really, just that we had to give up our second-born to the Fey. The firstborn was to rule our kingdom, whilst the second-born was sent off to the Fey to keep the peace. But I… I lost my parents young. And my younger brother was all I had, he was my everything. I had to raise him, he was both like my own son and my brother, and I could not just lose him like that… So I tried to fool the Fey, but the Fey are not easily fooled. And in the end, I  _ truly _ lost everything, not only my brother, but also my people, my kingdom… My own life.”

 Luhan’s heart ached for the king. It could not have been easy, to go through what he had, just because he was not ready to give his own flesh and blood up, and Luhan could understand why King Minseok had acted like he had. So young when he was forced to accept the crown, so young when he was forced to give up the only connection he still had to his parents, his only kinship. One emotionally fueled decision that led to so many suffering…

 “I ordered them to hide, to flee, before the Fey arrived,” King Minseok continued in a low voice. “I do not know what happened with the ones who hid away in my kingdom, but I hope at least some of them survived…”

 Luhan gently squeezed King Minseok’s hand again, making the king look up at him.

 “They more than probably did, considering how the tale of your kingdom lived on for hundreds of years. There must have been someone telling the tale of you,” Luhan reasoned. “I will help you find them, I am sure there are still some left.”

 “Thank you, Prince Luhan,” King Minseok said, a small smile on his lips that was quickly wiped away by a frown. “And I am so terribly sorry.”

 The shock of King Minseok’s words made Luhan fall backwards against the chair, their hands separating.

 “Sorry? For what?”

 King Minseok motioned towards Luhan, and looking down, Luhan realized he was motioning for Luhan’s shoulder.

 “For that. I should have known they would come for me as soon as I woke up, they would not let me escape my curse so easily,” King Minseok said, sighing. “They want to keep me in that artificial slumber until the world cease to exist, they made that much clear to me when they came for me all of those years ago. And they will stop at nothing to get me back, and now yet another one has suffered because of me and my selfishness…”

 “Your Majesty…,” Luhan began, but King Minseok interrupted him with a shake of his head.

 “Please, call me Minseok. I am no king no longer. Even if we do find my people, I still lack the kingdom and the (...) to lead them as king.”

 “I will accept it on only one condition,” Luhan said with a smile. “You have to call me Luhan, not Prince Luhan, not Your Highness. Just Luhan. My title is rather excessive, I have too many siblings for it to really matter.”

 “Fine, then, Luhan. I guess we are somewhat in the same boat, then,” Minseok said, giving a small smile that had Luhan’s own growing.

 “It seems like so, Minseok. It feels rather strange calling you without your title, I have to say… But you have nothing to apologize for. I was the one who spent the better part of my life searching for you, I was the one who, with the help of Yixing, extracted the thorns and woke you. I knew there might be dangers along the way, but I still searched for you, and I still woke you. And I am still here, still alive and breathing, and well on my way to recovering. So you have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”

 Minseok hummed a little, eyes on Luhan’s cloth-covered shoulder, not looking completely convinced.

 “Yixing… Did a good job,” Minseok admitted after a brief silence, and Luhan nodded in pride.

 “He did, he always do. And I honestly think you owe  _ him _ an apology, for how you treated him. He may be my servant, but he is a person, and my friend.”

 Minseok sighed as he sunk back a little, looking weary and a bit exhausted, but still nodding.

 “I should apologize to him, I recognize that I acted… I guess as per usual for me, rather foolish,” Minseok said, earning himself a chuckle from Luhan. “I should start reflecting on myself and my behavior more, I really do not have a good track record so far…”

 “As long as you try your best, that is what matters,” Luhan comforted the young, yet old man. “Oh, I have completely forgotten to ask this, but how old were you when you were cursed? You do not look that old, even after those hundred or so years spent asleep.”

 Minseok snorted softly, smile spreading across his lips.

 “I guess you could say I was in a beauty sleep,” Minseok joked, making Luhan give a surprised laugh. “I had recently turned twenty-one. That reminds me, what month are we in?”

 A bit surprised over Minseok revelation, Luhan took a moment to answer.

 “Early May, I turned twenty-one just a few weeks ago,” Luhan answered, frowning. “Does that mean you would be younger or older than me, had you not had those extra hundred years?”

 “Early May? Then it has been a few months since my birthday, so I would still be older than you had I not had those extra hundred years,” Minseok answered, before giving a shrug. “But I do not think I count those hundred years, considering I was not really living through them.”

 “Then we are both twenty-one, nice to meet you, my same-aged friend,” Luhan said, giving a small bow that had Minseok chuckling but replicating.

 “Nice to meet-”

 Minseok was interrupted by the loud banging of the door being slammed open, and a worried-looking Yixing rushing inside.

 “Oh, thank the gods, you’re here, milord!” Yixing rushed out as he lay eyes on Luhan, placing a hand over his chest as he tried to get his breathing under control. “Your Majesty, Your Highness, we are under attack!”

 Both Luhan and Minseok quickly jumped to their feet and followed Yixing as he led them to where lord Wu was standing out on the courtyard, barking orders in different directions.

 Lord Wu turned to eye Luhan and Minseok for a moment, before opening his mouth.

 “I guess I owe you both an apology for not believing you,” he said, nodding towards the walls. “My scouts have reported  _ elves _ on their way to attack us. I guess you finally did find your fairytale, Your Highness.”

 Luhan could not help but feel a bit satisfied about the admittance of lord Wu, even as worry and fear coursed through his veins. As if to remind him of what had happened last time they had had a run-in with the Fey, Luhan’s shoulder gave a sharp pulse of pain, and he lifted his hand to absently rub at it.

 “You should head inside,” Minseok mumbled to him, glancing between Luhan’s face and Luhan’s shoulder. “You’ve already been harmed once by them.”

 But Luhan shook his head.

 “I will not leave you and let you handle this on your own, I can help. I’ll be safe within the castle walls, and I am much better with a bow than with a sword anyway,” Luhan said, voice leaving no space for any arguments.

 Minseok seemed to understand, as he kept quiet and just nodded.

 “Milord,” Yixing began, frowning in worry, but Luhan pinned him with a stare.

 “Yixing. No. I’ll keep to my bow, but I will stay and help.”

 Knowing how stubborn Luhan was, Yixing also gave in, though with a sigh and a nod.

 “You know the way to the armory, arm yourselves and then find somewhere safe to stay,” lord Wu said as he began to walk away, on his way to supervise his forces. “I will have neither a dead prince or a dead fairytale king on my hands, so you better actually stay safe.”

 Luhan gave a mock salute, before he turned and had Minseok and Yixing follow him.

 Guards were rushing in and out of the armory, making it a bit tricky for the three of them to arm themselves, but in the end they managed and headed back outside again. Climbing on top of the wall, they found themselves a spot to stay, and sat down to wait.

 It did not take long before they heard a scream from their own camp, the Fey apparently having used the darkness of the night to sneak up on them and begun the assault without anyone noticing. A few more arrows hit home before lord Wu’s forces gathered themselves, and began to return fire.

 Peeking over the edge, Luhan noted that the Fey forces seemed to be of about the same number as lord Wu’s, and he just hoped that their advantage of being inside of the castle would play in their favor.

 Fingers going numb and arms feeling heavy as lead, Luhan did not know how long he sat up on the walls, shooting arrow after arrow at the invading Fey. Every now and then, someone would run past and leave more arrows for them, and Luhan would get right back to shooting.

 A few times, the Fey tried to push forwards, but lord Wu’s forces managed to hold them back, even as the death toll slowly crept upwards. And as the sun finally began to peek over the edge of the world, the Fey retreated and disappeared, leaving only their dead ones behind.

 Trembling, Luhan exhaled heavily as he sank down to the ground, dragging a shaking hand through his hair.

 “This will not be the end of it, they will be back,” Minseok mumbled, mostly to himself, but Luhan took ahold of his wrist and pulled him down next to him.

 “This might be true, but then we will hold them back, until they either give up, or are all dead,” Luhan somberly promised Minseok, staring deep into his eyes to make the other understand that was serious.

 “Or until  _ we _ are dead,” Minseok muttered, but sat down properly to rest next to Luhan, just as Yixing did the same on Luhan’s other side.

 They had made it through a Fey attack for the second time around, and Luhan made a silent promise that they would make it through a third and a fourth, and no matter how many times it would take before the Fey gave in.

 

 “I am not sure I find this to be a good idea, Your Highness,” lord Wu slowly said as he stood watching Luhan strap the last bag onto his saddle.

 “Of course not, but it is,” Luhan said, turning to face the lord with a smile. “Yours is the first castle of many protecting the kingdom, and the further we get towards the capital, the safer we will be. We have been taking advantage of your hospitality for far too long, and you need to have us out of here so that your men can recover. As soon as the Fey realize we are no longer here, they will follow us instead, and then there will be a dozen or so castles filled with armies to take them down, and I do not think the Fey will take that risk. Not to mention, we need to get back so that we can explain everything and make sure that everyone is notified of the dangers that are lurking in the shadows, as well as start our search for King Minseok’s lost people. We have a lot to do, and lollygagging around here in fear is not going to help anyone.”

 Lord Wu stared at Luhan for a few long seconds, before sighing, shoulder slumping a little.

 “Fine, I see your point, and it is valid… Take care, Your Highness, and make sure to send word as soon as you have safely made it back,” lord Wu said, before giving a bow.

 Luhan put a hand on the lord’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

 “I will, and once more, thank you for all you have done for us.”

 Lord Wu just nodded, before standing back and waving Luhan, Minseok, and Yixing off.

 Luhan really hoped that the Fey would not come for lord Wu’s castle once they knew they had already left, because lord Wu did not deserve to fall for them searching shelter with him. But Luhan shook his head to dispel those dark thoughts - nothing good would come from worrying about things he had no way of controlling. Only time would tell what would happen.

 

 The trip back to Luhan’s home was rather uneventful, and this suited Luhan rather well. After all, he had been through a lot lately, and thought he deserved at least nothing happening for a little while. He was sure things would get crazy yet again at some point, but for now, he would relax and just take it easy.

 But of course, things started to pick up again as soon as they rode through the gates to the castle, a harried-looking guard captain coming running for them.

 “Prince Luhan! Prince Luhan, finally you have returned! You have guests!”

 Luhan frowned down at the guard captain in confusion.

 “Guests? Captain Huang, what in the world are you talking about?” Luhan asked, only now noticing that the entire castle seemed to be in an uproar. “What is going on, are we having important visitors?”

 Captain Huang took a moment to breathe, before standing up a bit more straight.

 “Yes, we are, a King Jongdae is here visiting, claiming to be the descendant of a Prince Jongdeok, brother of a King Minseok…?” Captain Huang said, trailing off as his eyes went to Minseok, who had given a rather loud gasp. “They are waiting for you in the throne room, I suggest you head over there as quickly as possible.”

 “I’ll take care of the horses, you go on ahead,” Yixing said as he sat down from his horse, holding his hands out for the reins.

 “Thank you, Yixing!” Minseok exclaimed as he handed his reins over, Yixing blinking, wide-eyed, over the gratefulness.

 Luhan just chuckled and patted Yixing’s shoulder as he handed his own reins over to his valet, before motioning for Minseok to follow him.

 Apparently Luhan had been right - at least someone had survived, and if they really were a descendant to Minseok’s brother… Then Minseok had not lost everything. Luhan truly hoped this would be true, seeing as to the great lengths Minseok had gone to protect his younger brother, this would mean that he would have succeeded, and then he would not have to berate himself over it anymore.

 Yes, Luhan hoped Minseok would find peace in him having succeeded in doing what he had hoped he would, apparently saving both his brother and his kingdom.


End file.
